Museum of Beer – Pair Your Beer Responsibly

We all know that red wine and steak go well together but what should you pair with your IPA?

Our client, the Museum of Beer, recently led the PBO Advisory Team in a beer tasting and pairing event, featuring a selection of libations from another of our clients, Societe Brewing Company. During the evening we learned all about beer, what to eat with beer to bring out the best flavors, and, of course, we drank a little beer, too.

According to Bruce Glassman, curator of craft for the museum slated to open in 2022 in San Diego, beer is made primarily of four ingredients – water, yeast, hops and grain, which goes through a malting process. The combination of these four ingredients, plus other ingredients that are added by the brew master, gives each beer its unique taste.

The adjectives used to describe wine – earthy, spicy, floral, fruity, etc. – are also used to describe beer. The bubbles in beer refresh the palette naturally however, making the tasting experience different than that of wine tasting.

Bruce encourages beer fans to take risks with their food pairings. Not every pairing has to be good. Try different things to see what works for you and what doesn’t. And don’t forget dessert. The hops in beer provide a bitter taste that can be offset by something sweet. Darker beers go especially well with a sugary treat.

The PBO Advisory team tried four of Societe’s beers. The brewery, which is located in Clairement Mesa and open during the pandemic, distributes its beer throughout California. With Societe’s lighter beers including The Harlot, we tasted crackers and cheese. With the company’s The Coachman and The Pupil IPAs we added summer sausage, olives, honey pale ale mustard and sweet and spicy pecans. To round out our tasting, we paired caramels, chocolates and Madelines with Societe’s stout beer, The Butcher.

When the Museum of Beer opens Downtown it will feature tastings, pairings, brewing classes and more. In the meantime, you can support Societe by visiting the brewery to learn more about beer and food pairings or purchasing its beers at one of the many retail locations that offers it.

Cheers!